Social Welfare

Religious discussion of human organs and tissues has concentrated largely on donation for therapeutic purposes. The retrieval and use of human tissue samples in diagnostic, research, and education contexts have, by contrast, received very little direct theological attention. Initially undertaken at the behest of the National Bioethics Advisory Commission, this essay seeks to explore the theological and religious questions embedded in nontherapeutic use of human tissue.

As the twentieth century closes, marked by triumphal strides in medical advances, the American society has yet to ensure that each person has access to affordable health care. To correct this injustice, this article calls on the nation's political and corporate leaders, providers, and faith-based groups to join all Americans in a new national conversation on systemic health care reform.

Government and market forces have fundamentally transformed the religious healthcare sector. Religious healthcare organizations are struggling to define their identities and determine what it is that makes them different and what implications the differences have for the delivery of social services and for public life.

This essay attempts to describe contemporary Catholic sponsored health care in the United States and to describe the purpose and structure of these particular Christian charitable organizations within the broader society. As health care has become more complex, critics claim that there is not a need for Catholic sponsored health care any longer. The author attempts to evaluate critically whether Catholic health care has a place in contemporary society.

The Catholic Collaborative Refugee Network (CCRN) was established more than four years ago as a result of discussions among CHA, Catholic Charities USA, and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' office of Migration and Refugee Services. The dozen CCRN sites each provide an organized response to the social, economic, and health problems often faced by refugees. Although the sites differ in their services, they typically help refugees prepare for and find work, preferably work with health insurance coverage.

Founded in 2001 by representatives of seven local organizations, the Refugee Healthcare Partnership (RHP) provides necessary health services and meaningful employment opportunities for refugees in the Tampa Bay, FL, area. Spearheaded by Catholic health care organizations and Catholic Charities of the Diocese of St. Petersburg, the RHP was made possible initially by funding from the Bon Secours Mission Fund of Bon Secours Health System, Marriottsville, MD. Florida leads the nation in granting lawful permanent resident status to refugees and asylum seekers.

The need for support in case of illness or poverty has probably existed ever since. In ancient times this need was indicated by means of a mythical Aesculapius staff. The importance of charity toward one's neighbors was already emphasized by Hippocrates, also in his wording of the medical oath. In those times, however, rationalism determined actual approach towards the sick or unfortunate, and such concepts as "charitas" or "misericordia" were unfamiliar in the contemporary Greece and Rome.

The need for support in case of illness or poverty has probably existed ever since. In ancient times this need was indicated by means of a mythical Aesculapius staff. The importance of charity toward one's neighbors was already emphasized by Hippocrates, also in his wording of the medical oath. In those times, however, rationalism determined actual approach towards the sick or unfortunate, and such concepts as "charitas" or "misericordia" were unfamiliar in the contemporary Greece and Rome.

For much of the postwar period, the Australian welfare state has been misunderstood by overseas social policy commentators. The lack of generosity of welfare payments has been substantially compensated for by a system of wage regulation that has prevented waged poverty and delivered a reduced disparity of incomes.

BACKGROUND: Many important social determinants of health are also the focus for social policies. Welfare states contribute to the resources available for their citizens through cash transfer programmes and subsidised services. Although all rich nations have welfare programmes, there are clear cross-national differences with respect to their design and generosity. These differences are evident in national variations in poverty rates, especially among children and elderly people.